The Kawasaki Police 1000 is probably one of the most recognizable motorcycles on the planet. The motorcycle has appeared in countless TV shows and Movies. The most notable of which is the TV series CHiP’s, Starring actors Eric Estrada and Larry Wilcox. Adapted in the 1970’s by the California Highway Patrol as a patrol bike, the Kawasaki Z1 quickly gained a reputation as a highly dependable and agile motorcycle. After several improvements and a name change to the KZ1000C1 police version, the bike became a staple in the motor pools of Law Enforcement agencies all across the country. Aoshima has faithfully reproduced the bike in its California Highway Patrol, Las Angeles Division, trim.

The kit comes in a sturdy box with an illustration of the completed motorcycle on the cover and sides. Inside you will find individually wrapped bags of parts. The kit is molded in black, white, gray and two styles of chrome parts. The engine parts are molded in a satin chrome finish, while the other parts are molded in bright chrome. There is a sprue of clear parts, two soft rubber tires and a length of rubber hose to be used for throttle linkage, brake lines, spark plug wires etc. and a sheet of decals. I found the instruction sheet to be well laid out and easy to follow with clear illustrations of the assembly process.

There was no flash on my version and what mold lines there are clean up easily with a sanding stick.

The assembly began with the build up of the front fork. The front fender, brake and wheel tire combination are sandwiched between the two forks and held together with a small screw. Next are the handlebars, mirrors and instrument panel. The gauges faces are represented by decals, they laid down well and give a realistic appearance. Like the front forks, the rear fork assembly was straight –forward, it consists of the wheel/tire, chain/sprocket, chain guard and swing arms. The entire assembly is held together with a small screw, this allows the wheels to rotate.

Consisting of approximately twenty parts the engine builds up nicely. The parts fit is excellent, it has positive locating points and the instruction sheet provides a clear illustration of the assembly. Be sure to note which head you are putting on. The kit has parts for the stock bike, which uses a different head then the police 1000. You don’t want to have to pry off the incorrect head after the glue has dried, trust me on this. Also take note of the direction of the carburetors.

Now comes the tricky the part. The frame consists of two halves, the trick is to get the rear wheel assembly and the engine between the frame rails and glue the two halves together. The chain and front sprocket locate inside the engine. The engine has positive locating points on the frame. The front fork goes on after the frame is assembled and again it is secured with a small screw.

The rest of the assembly was fairly uneventful. All the parts fit well; all have good locating and glue points. The saddlebags and saddlebag guards can be tricky to place. The first side required patience the other side was a breeze. All of the lights are clear and must be painted, Tamiya clear red, orange and blue was used for that.

The decals are thin and opaque. They laid down well requiring very little sitting solution. I used a little Micro-Sol on the pin striping along the back edge of the cowling to help it conform to the curves. The large decal on the top of the tank may require cutting relief points along the edges to get it to lie flat, this is suggested in the instruction sheet as well.

This kit was a joy to build and looks good completed. The parts are crisply molded with no flash and few mold lines. The parts fit is excellent. The clear parts are free from scratches, the decals are thin and lay down well. There are a few tricky areas to the assembly and some delicate parts that are easily broken. For a semi skilled modeler none of this will be a problem to overcome. From information and photos I could fine online the look is dead on for a CHiP’s motorcycle.

I would like to thank Dragon Models USA and IPMS for allowing me the opportunity to review this kit.